ACCRA, May 8 (Reuters) - The head of Ghana's Cocobod cocoa industry regulator, Isaac Osei, has been chosen as a parliamentary candidate for the ruling party in December polls but sees no reason to resign, officials said on Thursday.

Osei, who beat two other contenders to win the nomination for a seat in the second largest city of Kumasi, told reporters ahead that he would not necessarily resign from Cocobod if he won.

"I do not have to resign my job because mine is a political appointment. However, if I feel that (the campaign) is affecting my job, I will voluntarily resign," he said.

The cocoa industry in Ghana employs around 1 million people and is a major contributor to government revenue. It earned about $1.2 billion last year. Ghana is the world's second largest producer of cocoa.